Project Description

HEARTBEATS & ALGORITHMS

In 2015 I worked on the sound design for a piece of new theatre Heartbeats & Algorithms. Written and performed by Jenny Lee, this one woman play tells the story of Banks, a programmer who develops an algorithm that can predict the decisions people will make.

A woman designs an algorithm that will predict the decisions of people in seemingly unpredictable predicaments. In the process of perfecting the algorithm she ends up creating a programme that gets to know her better than she knows herself, and discovers her most intimate secret. As a result, it predicts that she will soon find herself in an unpredictable predicament…

Heartbeats & Algorithms is a dark, heart-achingly funny story that conjures up a seductive, inescapable world of information use and abuse and examines the leading role our technology plays in our lives.

We worked with Director Valentina Ceschi (Dancing Brick) who opted for very minimal staging with no set and simple but effective lighting design that focuses attention on the character, her story and the sound which plays a significant role in supporting the narrative. The sound design consists of ambient sounds signifying the various settings in the story both literal, such as Banks’ office and a tube station, and the abstract, virtual space of an online forum. I was also tasked with creating a sonic representation of the algorithm that haunts and torments the narrator. For this I used induction coil pick up recordings of computers and other electronic devices. The play has the feel of a techno – thriller reflected in the cinematic approach to elements of the sound design.

Heartbeats & Algorithms ran for the month of August at Pleasance This at the Edinburgh Fringe 2015 followed by a national tour 2016/17.

HEARTBEATS & ALGORITHMS

In 2015 I worked on the sound design for a piece of new theatre Heartbeats & Algorithms. Written and performed by Jenny Lee, this one woman play tells the story of Banks, a programmer who develops an algorithm that can predict the decisions people will make.

A woman designs an algorithm that will predict the decisions of people in seemingly unpredictable predicaments. In the process of perfecting the algorithm she ends up creating a programme that gets to know her better than she knows herself, and discovers her most intimate secret. As a result, it predicts that she will soon find herself in an unpredictable predicament…

Heartbeats & Algorithms is a dark, heart-achingly funny story that conjures up a seductive, inescapable world of information use and abuse and examines the leading role our technology plays in our lives.

We worked with Director Valentina Ceschi (Dancing Brick) who opted for very minimal staging with no set and simple but effective lighting design that focuses attention on the character, her story and the sound which plays a significant role in supporting the narrative. The sound design consists of ambient sounds signifying the various settings in the story both literal, such as Banks’ office and a tube station, and the abstract, virtual space of an online forum. I was also tasked with creating a sonic representation of the algorithm that haunts and torments the narrator. For this I used induction coil pick up recordings of computers and other electronic devices. The play has the feel of a techno – thriller reflected in the cinematic approach to elements of the sound design.

Heartbeats & Algorithms ran for the month of August at Pleasance This at the Edinburgh Fringe 2015 followed by a national tour 2016/17.

“The only narrative catalyst beside Lee was the sound. This deserves praise in two ways. Both in its design — hyper-functional and well-suited to the high-concept nature of the show — and its length and timing. It worked in tandem with Jenny Lee’s intrinsically well timed performance to make a fluid, fully comprehensible play.”

“This has the tightness of a psychological thriller, and real intelligence as it explores the casual way we hand over valuable information. It asks questions around free will, and individual and corporate responsibilities.”

“The only narrative catalyst beside Lee was the sound. This deserves praise in two ways. Both in its design — hyper-functional and well-suited to the high-concept nature of the show — and its length and timing. It worked in tandem with Jenny Lee’s intrinsically well timed performance to make a fluid, fully comprehensible play.”

“This has the tightness of a psychological thriller, and real intelligence as it explores the casual way we hand over valuable information. It asks questions around free will, and individual and corporate responsibilities.”